"The five stages of inebriation" by Charles Percy Pickering

This hilarious set of photos by photographer Charles Percy Pickering, taken sometime between 1863 and 1868, showcase different levels of drunkenness.

The set of photos are thought to be staged, educational photos perhaps commissioned by a local temperance group in New South Wales. Advocates of temperance encouraged citizens to be teetotallers, a term describing those who abstain from alcohol completely.

The images, in order below, are examples of albumen print photographs. Albumen in egg whites is used to bind the photographic chemicals to the surface of the paper. Most photos were printed like this until the 1920s.